BBC strikes deal with YouTube

The BBC plans to set up three YouTube channels that will feature short clips of BBC content. Two channels will be focused on entertainment, while one will be a news channel.

One of the entertainment channels will feature trailers and short videos related to BBC programming. There will be no advertising on this channel. It's main purpose will be to drive traffic to the BBC's website, which in the future may include full episodes of TV programs for streaming and download.

The other entertainment channel will be advertising-driven, and will include 3-6 minute clips of material from the BBC archives. Clips will include content from Top Gear, The Mighty Boosh, and nature programs.

The news channel will also include advertising, and will show around 30 news clips every day. The news clips will be available only to viewers outside of the UK, which I find kind of funny. Sure you shouldn't have to watch advertising on the BBC if you live in Britain, but does that mean you should actually have less access to this BBC outlet than foreigners?

Anyway, somebody wake me when they put Doctor Who episodes up on YouTube.

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4 Comments

I agree with Nicole. This is a big move, and anything that shortens the time between transmission on the BBC in the UK and legitimate carriage in the rest of the world is a good thing. I would like to be able to purchase shows from the BBC like I can with US shows from iTunes. That way, they can get a small revenue stream on which to build. The BBC is restricted by its charter in what it can do in the UK. It's been forced to divest itself of many of its commercial holdings, but I still worry the Corporation's enemies will try to shoot this down before it even gets going.

Sure, you can find such clips on there already. But you can find pirated clips all over the web. This is a big step, because it's another sign that major content creators are embracing this new medium. The Viacom deal with Joost, is another solid example. This can only be good for us -- because, as long as internet TV remains an illegal, "user generated" (yeah right) phenomenon, there will be no serous offerings.

Piracy may continue, or it may eventually be defeated (with massive restrictions enforced). Either way, legit offerings will have billions of dollars behind them, in the form of advertising -- and that will push them to the top.

Sure, you can find such clips on there already. But you can find pirated clips all over the web. This is a big step, because it's another sign that major content creators are embracing this new medium. The Viacom deal with Joost, is another solid example. This can only be good for us -- because, as long as internet TV remains an illegal, "user generated" (yeah right) phenomenon, there will be no serous offerings.

However -- legit offerings, that is nothing short of revolutionary. That is true "cable bypass" delivery -- and that is the future.

Piracy may continue, or it may eventually be defeated (with massive restrictions enforced). Either way, legit offerings will have billions of dollars behind them, in the form of advertising -- and that will push them to the top.